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T O P I C R E V I E W

idrvball

Here's a cover I've been trying to research but can't find much about. This is #3 of 5 covers. It's signed by Schmiedl, and the note reads, "One of Five Schmiedl covers addressed to the U.S. Moonstation, Ocean of Storms, Moon. With Apollo 12 to the Moon to Transported"

It's from the collection of Dr. Max Kronstein.

So, a couple of questions if anyone can help. Did this fly? It was postmarked in the AM and A12 took off at 4:22 PM.

If it didn't fly, and I'm guessing it didn't, what is it that a noted collector like Kronstein saw in it?

Also, any idea on the value? Thanks for your help.

Ken Havekotte

Certainly not flown to the moon aboard Apollo 12, I am thinking, and I don't see any "rocket mail" markings on it to indicate perhaps a flown rocket mail carrier. Also note the Cape hand cancel instead of KSC.

idrvball

Thanks Ken.

What would be the significance of the Cape hand cancel?

And, It's confusing to me why there were only five of these noted. If they were not flown, it seems like they would've made more, or what could be the reason for such a limited number? It doesn't seem to me like an extraordinary cover. Just some thoughts I have had as I've been trying to figure this cover out.

cosmos-walter

Austrian rocket pioneer Friedrich Schmiedl made - as far as I remember - some 50 cards commemorating 1100 relevant space launches starting with Sputnik-1. On the day of each event they were postmarked at Krieglach, the village in Styria, Austria where Schmiedl worked. I am not referring to these space commemorating cards (= Weltraum-Erinnerungskarten).

Additionally he addressed a smaller number of cards and covers to astronauts and cosmonauts in space. Most of them were posted through regular postal service on their launch days. On many a post officer remarked according to his wishes, that no postal service to space has been established yet. During his last years Friedrich Schmiedl tried to convince me, that his wife Jenny fired all these items with small rockets at the rocket launch site behind his house in Graz.